Chương 592: Chapter 592: Why Are You So Excited, Eva?
Eva quickly racked her brain.
Kim Mu-hyeok's words echoed clearly in her mind as if she'd just heard them.
—As time passes and more online media outlets emerge like mushrooms after rain, our control over the press will inevitably weaken. Starting with the younger generation, more and more people will turn to portal sites for news instead of traditional newspapers. Consequently, the influence of existing media companies will diminish. It would be wise to prepare for this to some extent. The persistence of Koreans can be quite astonishing.
Since then, just as Kim Mu-hyeok predicted, online media outlets began to spring up one by one, and now their numbers have increased significantly.
"This is surprising. I don't know where you heard such strange rumors, but they aren't true," she replied.
Eva quickly changed her expression and smiled as she answered the journalist's question.
"We have a document indicating that funds have flowed from the Virgin Islands into the accounts of Future Investments in Hong Kong."
Eva shook her head with a smile.
"Oh really? If you truly have evidence, then please reveal it. I'm confident in my position. However, if you publish an article based solely on suspicion without evidence, you will be meeting our legal team."
After delivering her warning with a smile, Eva turned her gaze from the journalist who continued to bombard her with questions and looked around at the other journalists.
"I'll conclude this Q&A session with this. I'm off to the shareholders' meeting now."
Eva slightly bowed her head, maintaining her smile as she turned and walked into the KS Building.
Yet, walking away from the journalists, her face had hardened as if she had never smiled.
As soon as she entered the elevator, she spoke to the head of her security team next to her.
"Team Leader Han."
"Yes, Representative."
"Find out everything you can about a media outlet called 'New Fact.' When was it established, who is the representative, and who are the journalists associated with it? Right away. I want to know by the time the shareholders' meeting ends."
"I'll contact the headquarters right away."
Eva added with a chilling gaze,
"And… we might need to conduct an internal audit."
"I'll prepare for that."
The elevator arrived at the floor where the shareholders' meeting was taking place. Eva entered the conference room with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.
The last sight of Eva faded as the conference room doors closed, and soon the regular shareholders' meeting of KS Inc. commenced.
In front of many shareholders, proposals between Chairman Choi Woo-sik and the Sovereign Fund were presented.
The Sovereign Fund demanded the complete resignation of the KS board of directors, restructuring of the irrational governance through the sale of various subsidiaries, the removal of Chairman Choi Woo-sik and his family, and greater management transparency for the KS Group.
"What shareholders want is transparent management. We demand that you maximize shareholder profits and normalize this business's operations. To that end, we propose changing the articles of incorporation to limit the board of directors to between five and ten members, while ensuring that outside directors outnumber internal directors."
Additionally, the Sovereign Fund submitted a list of recommendations for both internal and external directors, demanding the selection of five directors, which was half of the current board.
Although they were speaking in circles, it was clear they were telling the Choi Woo-sik family to step aside and give up their management rights.
In response, Chairman Choi's side proposed measures to buy back shares for destruction, claiming these would maximize shareholder profits and strengthen shareholder management.
"To ensure transparent management at KS Inc., we will eliminate the circular shareholding structure and burn our own shares to maximize shareholder profits."
A standoff emerged between Sovereign and KS's management. Ultimately, all proposals were put to a vote.
The direction the balance of power would tip now rested in the hands of the National Pension Fund and Future Investments.
First, the National Pension Fund declared it would not exercise its voting rights.
However, since amendments to the articles required a two-thirds majority, it was automatically discarded.
At first glance, it appeared to be a victory for Chairman Choi, but with six out of ten board seats going to the Sovereign Fund and Future Investments, including the auditors, the reality was quite different.
Eva proposed that internal directors remain in their positions as per KS Inc.'s suggestion, while the Sovereign Fund would appoint four outside directors and Future Investments would take two.
Both Chairman Choi and the Sovereign Fund accepted the proposal, and in the end, the shareholders' meeting concluded with Choi Woo-sik maintaining control.
In that moment, an uncomfortable coexistence between Chairman Choi and the Sovereign Fund began.
And the one who gained the most out of this situation was neither Chairman Choi nor the Sovereign Fund, but Future Investments.
* * *
At that time, when the shareholders' meeting was held.
I was aboard a private jet, heading towards Singapore.
Onboard were Myeong-su and some diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I was talking with Myeong-su in my office area of the private jet, leaving the diplomats outside.
"This situation has grown far too large."
Myeong-su nodded, letting out a deep sigh.
"After the inter-Korean summit, we agreed to hold a trilateral meeting involving the U.S. Secretary of State. But now, suddenly, China, Russia, and Japan are all trying to get involved. It's utterly chaotic."
Once the news broke, the governments of China and Russia contacted the South Korean government unilaterally, stating they would attend as well.
That night, President Yoon Chang-ho talked with President Bush for over twenty minutes, and soon a meeting involving five nations was agreed upon, including China and Russia.
From the U.S. perspective, there was no reason to antagonize China and Russia, and South Korea also needed their assistance in improving relations with North Korea.
"It's not like we didn't expect this to happen."
North Korea's opening up would significantly shake up the East Asian geopolitical situation.
I knew well that neither China nor Russia would stand idly by. After President Yoon Chang-ho's address to the nation, they had reached out to us.
Now I wanted to take a step back and let each country reach an agreement on their own, but the U.S. wanted my attendance.
—Charlie, you're the only one who can help clean this up. In return, I'll try to prevent Japan's involvement.
Japan had also tried to interfere, but the South Korean government firmly rejected their request.
There was no room for Japan to intervene in South Korea and North Korean matters.
Of course, Japan wasn't the type to give up easily. After South Korea rejected their overtures, they contacted the U.S. government, and lobbyists in Washington mobilized all their efforts to sway opinions.
"Actually, this works in our favor. Having all related countries present may lead to better agreements. Oh, except for Japan."
Myeong-su's words made me laugh.
"Japan is probably having its own discussions with North Korea. They just don't want to miss out on anything. They're not the type to shy away from issues like this."
"Just look at how they run straight to their boss with their tails wagging. It's absurd."
"Boss?"
"If they're going to hand over their leash to the U.S., then who else could they possibly refer to as their boss?"
I ultimately burst into laughter.
"You're the only person who would speak about Japan like that."
It had already been agreed among several countries to exclude Japan from the discussions at this meeting.
No matter how much the lobbyists in Washington fought, this wouldn't change.
Of course, they would be striving to establish a separate communication channel with North Korea, but that was North Korea's concern.
While we conversed, the private jet touched down at Singapore Changi International Airport.
"Let's part ways here for now."
I let Myeong-su and the diplomats exit first, while I deliberately took my time leaving the airport.
As I got into the pre-arranged car and started driving, Manager Ma turned to me.
"Boss, we have a call from Korea."
"Is it Eva? Tell her I'll contact her after I arrive at the hotel. I'll be there shortly."
"Understood. I'll pass that along."
I nodded and turned my gaze out the window, lost in thought.
Can Korea and North Korea assert their positions in a situation with the U.S., China, and Russia involved?
Upon arriving at the hotel and making the call, Eva picked up before the second ring.
"Eva, is the shareholders' meeting over? You did well. Did everything go as planned?"
I'd already met separately with Chairman Choi and the Chandler brothers to coordinate ahead of time. There must have been fierce debates, but unless someone betrayed the agreement, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
No, more accurately, even if a betrayal occurred, the side we supported would still be victorious. They wouldn't be so foolish as to betray if they knew it.
"The shareholders' meeting is over, Boss. But right now, that's not the important thing. This morning, during the Q&A with the reporters…"
Eva's voice sounded more urgent than usual.
"Eva, take a deep breath and tell me slowly. Why are you so excited?"
I could hear her taking deep breaths on the other end of the line.
"What's wrong?"
Eva seemed to regain some composure before speaking again.
― One of the journalists raised suspicions about the funds of Future Investments. They specifically mentioned 'through a paper company.'
"Really? Which daily newspaper?"
― The outlet is called 'New Fact.' I had never heard of it before. Since they are an online media outlet, I've already assigned Team Leader Han to investigate.
I nodded and replied.
"Good job. I'll keep it in mind. Call me back with the investigation results."
Eva's worried voice reached me, perhaps because my reaction was rather calm.
― Are you sure it's okay?
Seeing Eva, usually so bold, react this way chilled me.
I smiled reassuringly at Eva.
"It's not like we didn't expect this to eventually come out. There are quite a few who know that I'm the owner of Future Investments. Even so, no one can find evidence that the capital came from me. If there were clear evidence, they'd be publishing an article instead of just asking questions."
― Still, even suspicion could lead to problems, right? Did I mistakenly order the reporters to ask questions?
"I did ask the journalists to ask questions. If there's a problem, it's my responsibility. Don't worry too much. It'll be fine. The shareholders' meeting went as planned, right?"
― The amendment failed, and the internal directors including Chairman Choi remained in their positions. The other four outside directors were appointed by the Sovereign side, while two were our recommendations.
Despite the unease caused by the article, Eva handled everything well as I had planned.
"How was the atmosphere?"
― It was tense. They were all biting at each other. If I hadn't heard beforehand, I would have gotten caught off-guard. Everyone was acting so well! I was struggling to hold back laughter when I watched it unfold.
I wasn't present, but I could imagine it.
"Good. You did a great job. Starting today, Eva, you're on vacation again. I'll handle the rest."
― Boss, how can I take a vacation at a time like this? There are suspicions coming up now.
"You can watch how the news unfolds and respond if needed. I handle these situations better than you. No matter how many articles get published in online media, if major media outlets don't pick it up, it'll just be a breeze. They don't have that kind of influence yet. Understand? Today, you're on vacation again. That's an order."
― Got it, Boss.
Finally, with me giving the order, Eva agreed to take another vacation.
"Alright, thanks for your hard work. I'll call again later."
After ending the call, I fiddled with my phone, lost in thought.
Who leaked that suspicion to an online media outlet?
Whoever it is will soon face responsibility for their actions.
There was no evidence linking back to me. That's why I could remain calm.
At that moment.
"Boss, a guest has arrived."
Manager Ma came up to inform me.
Who could possibly be visiting now?
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